Kids at Work

Last weekend the weather was so good we took the kids to the National Zoo. Seems everyone had the same idea because the zoo was packed with families and kids. Aidan and Ella enjoyed people watching. We were so busy keeping track of them in the crowds we didn't have time to video. If we had the video it would have recorded: ...Team L whizzing past the small mammals and reptiles buildings to make it to the Ape House first - so Aidan and Ella could have their first glimpse of a gorilla. The Ape house was hot and muggy (not stinky, thank goodness)- but it felt like the air conditioning was off - and wall to wall people. As the sweat dripped down my brow, I made my way with Ella, and Dan with Aidan, up to the glass so the kids could have a better look at the new mommy and her baby gorilla. We had a great view and saw them playing, eating and drinking, too, from a little pond inside the enclosure. But then Ella insisted on crawling around on the floor like a little gorilla and that was not going to work. The Ape house floor - "very dirty!"

We left the Ape House to find the Elephants - they've built a new enclosure about the size of 1-2 football fields. If you can imagine us standing at the goal posts and the lone elephant in the enclosure standing at the opposing 20 yard line. I have to laugh; Dan and I were holding A&E pointing down the field saying "see the elephant!" (80 yards away) and they were looking around and up and down but couldn't see and we were pointing and talking and they can't see a thing - or if they did it would have been the back side of an elephant in the distance with it's tail swishing - but nothing like the elephants in their picture books.

That's pretty much how it went-
I wanted to see the giraffes, hippos and seal but we learned those animals had been shipped to Minnesota while the zoo builds new enclosures. We saw the stripped bottoms of the elusive zebras from a great distance. They had their heads down in the straw while they're tails waved to us.

Up on a rocky ledge framed by big leafy trees we spotted a clump of fur rocking back and forth - a big clump of black shaggy fur up on a ledge was all Dan and I could make out ...but we dutifully pointed it out to Aidan and Ella as - "a bear" Wow! Hahahaha.

This was not the animal sighting experience we'd hoped for and A&E were getting restless so we stopped for gelato! and then headed to the petting zoo to see the cows. Ella and Aidan haven't stopped mooing since. They loved the goats, and donkeys but the cows were a big hit! They were most impressed and we thought it was sort of funny that we drove 2 hrs out of farm county to see cows, goats, pigs, etc. ... Ah well, that's life. A&E where mooing and singing "dolci gelati" (Italian for Ice Cream) most of the way home.

This video was taken recently; it show's the kids at work playing around the house. Aidan is working with his drill and Ella is stacking the new potty chairs.